Is Paracetamol really effective for back pain?
updated the 14 July 2015 à 18:35Paracetamol is the standard treatment for lower back pain – but a recent study shows that it may be as effective as a placebo…
Lumbago – commonly known as back pain or back strain… If you go to see your doctor for treatment, there is a good chance that you’ll leave with a prescription of paracetamol. It is indeed THE drug that is recommended for this kind of pain. but there is a small problem – there has never really been a legitimate study that shows that paracetamol relieves back pain.
Can back pain be healed with placebos?
An Australian study published in the prestigious journal The Lancet on Thursday, July 24, has (finally) given us some insight on this treatment. The researchers conducted a study on more than 1,600 patients suffering from back pain, all of which were divided into 3 groups. Members of the first group were given 4g of paracetamol daily for 4 weeks.Those of the second category had the right to take the medication when they feel it is necessary. Those in the last group were just given a placebo. All participants were given advice to relieve their pain and were followed for 3 months. Eventually, scientists realized that there was no significant difference between the three groups, whether the intensity of pain, quality of sleep or time necessary for recovery (17 days for paracetamol group vs. 16 days for the other two groups). In short, you will not get better faster by swallowing a pill full of active substances rather than a neutral tablet. The only good news, both have little or no side effects.
The authors of this study encourage doctors to reconsider the universal recommendation of prescribing paracetamol as first-line treatment of low back pain, even though they acknowledge that further studies are needed to confirm their findings.
Maureen Diament
